


Toast to the Gods

by alittlewicked



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: 31 Days Of Halloween, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Full Moon, Halloween Calender, Halloween Challenge, M/M, Magic, Slow Burn, Thunderstorms, Wild Hunt, Witches, witch!bucky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2020-11-09 05:40:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 9,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlewicked/pseuds/alittlewicked
Summary: A coven of all our favorite manipulated and/or brain-washed murder machines.A Wild Hunt made up of blond, hunky beefcakes and doritos.Two lovable idiots that may or may not be soulmates.And a trip just in time to celebrate Samhain.





	1. Magic Man.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first try at an Halloween "advent" Calendar!  
We'll see how it goes :D!
> 
> Today is powered by HEART - Magic Man!

**☆**

**_A pretty man came to see me, never seen eyes so blue… _ **

A full moon was said to have the most curious powers, powers over nature and living beings alike. Therefore, since the beginning of time, humankind had prayed up to the glorious entity watching over them at night. They have prayed to the goddess in the sky and beseeched her to grant their deepest wishes and fulfill their most burning desires ever since.

Witchkind in turn had learned not only to whisper the prettiest prayers under the light of a full moon, but to harvest its powers for magical purposes. And it was up to each witch to decide if the path illuminated by the moon goddess led them to light or dark.

Bucky for his part was a romantic when it came to the moon. All he ever dreamed about were moon-lit dinner dates and stolen kisses on a full moon walk through the deserted park. His magic was more bound to the incredible vastness of the ocean and the forces of running rivers.

All he did during a full moon night was setting out his crystals to cleanse them in the light of the Luna and stare wistfully up at the sky. Tonight however, he was hit with a sudden bout of restlessness and he couldn’t sit still on his window sill where he had planned to soak up some moonlight just in case.

Maybe it was the Blood Moon or maybe the upcoming storm announced on the weather forecast. The rest of his coven had left their shared home in the early evening to make the most of the still clear skies, preparing for their individual rituals, and leaving him to his own devices. They had muttered about preparing some potion or the other and forging amulets and in one particular case scratching some very peculiar itches. Something about how nothing beats a full moon wank shortly before a thunderstorm. He would never get the gist of sex magic. 

There was static in the air and a vague feeling that something was about to happen this night. So Bucky did the only thing that could calm him down when he felt this anxious: he went about baking cookies. The smell of sweet batter with a sprinkling of sea salt calmed his nerves like only Natasha’s potions could otherwise. Simply the faint taste of the salt of the ocean in the air soothed his soul. 

So when the moon stood high in the sky, he put a plate of still warm cookies and a glass of milk out onto the fire escape. He didn’t worship the moon over other gods and goddesses, but he was nothing if not polite. And he had a feeling that his gift would surely be welcomed by the Fae wandering the nightly streets if not by the moon herself.

But with the first clouds gathering across the star studded night skies, Bucky grew even more restless than before. Light tremors raced down his body, preparing for whatever was to come. Perhaps he should take a page out of Loki’s book after all. Maybe spending himself in the moonlight would do the trick and put him to sleep.

Letting the curtains pulled wide open, the witch let himself fall back into his pillow, shucking of his sleeping pants and shirt as he went. Tracing soft finger tips along his body, he followed the electric sparks dancing over his skin, itching under his skin. Raising goosebumps in their wake, his fingers brushed softly along the delicate skin of his collar bones. Circling his sensitive nipples teasingly, making them stiffen and straining for an unknown lover.

His cock rested heavy and swollen against the crease of his hip. He rubbed softly along his slit, spreading the first drops of pre-cum gathered there after only teasing himself a little.

Bucky's eyes grew heavy-lidded when he finally wrapped his fingers around his length, reveling in the tight grip when he pulled on it. He was already so far gone that it was easy to imagine someone else doing this to him.

Someone big hovering above him, blanketing his whole body. Making him feel safe and loved. Shuddering, he spilled over his stomach after just a few more tugs and pulls, his fantasy man grinning brightly down at him with blue eyes twinkling lovingly.

He fell asleep to the last sliver of moonlight being drowned out by stormy clouds.

** _It seemed we’d seen each other in a dream…_ **

☆


	2. Thunderstruck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was, in fact, a thunderstorm last night.
> 
> Today's chapter is sponsored by Thunderstruck by AC/DC.

** _☆_ **

** _Sound of the drums, beating in my heart… _ **

Cold drops of rain were hitting his body incessantly, biting into his naked, exposed flesh like tiny, sharp teeth. Almighty gusts of wind were ripping at him, pushing him this way and tossing him that way. Ominously dark, rolling clouds were swimming all around him, trying to drown him like they did the full moon.

But Steve kept on running, always running. And never slowing down for it would be his demise.

Glaringly bright lightning bolts flashed before his eyes, cutting off his path every which way he turned. The deafening thunder following in their wake, sounding less like a force of nature and more like mischievous cackling, spurred him on.

So he kept on running. Trying to outrun what lay in wait in the menacing shadows behind him, lurking and waiting for him to stumble.

He could already hear it between one volley of thunder and another. The rattling breathe of beings bigger than him, older and more powerful than him. Ready to overpower him. Looking back, he could clearly see the outlines of razor sharp teeth, thrown in grotesque relief against the bright bolts of lightning raining down around them.

He ran without any sense of direction, he ran for his life.

His heart was pounding up his throat, threatening to choke him and making it harder every second to force cold air into his tired, burning lungs. His dark blond hair was plastered wetly against his face, his broad chest heaving and straining against his tunic. Sweat was trickling hotly down his neck and into his beard despite the freezing rainstorm rushing on around him. He shivered uncontrollably from the cold and the adrenaline coursing through his veins, putting him at risk of losing his footing on the slippery clouds.

Steve was on the verge of giving up or his body giving out, when suddenly his heart gave a violent lurch and he felt himself being pulled down, down towards the sparsely blinking lights of the city below them.

Confused howling and raucous thunder sounded up all around him, but he paid it no mind. Throwing himself into the tugging sensation inside his chest, the shaken blond put on another burst of speed. Forgotten was the chase and the hunt as exhilaration overflowed Steve.

Could it really be? Were they really back? Was he still calling out for Steve after all this time?

He didn’t dare hoping. Surely it had been too many moons since he last felt the pull of his heart’s strings. Giddy, Steve kept on running between the clouds and riding the gusts of wind as they came. He danced in the thunderstorm like he hadn’t for a long time now. Embracing the wildness inside him, he laughed when he plummeted down from the realms of the Gods to the Earth down below. To where his heart called him.

Bursting through the last row of low hanging clouds, he found himself hovering above the rickety fire escape of an old brick building. The same town house that he had found his way to the last time he was in this city as well.

Drifting closer, allowing the pull within his soul to drag him along, he softly touched down on a row of steps outside a large window looking into a messy bedroom. Stepping closer to get a better look, his gaze fell down to the step he was standing on. He had nearly knocked over a glass of milk and a plate loaded with softly steaming cookies, were it not for the protective charm placed on them that sent a tingling sensation up his leg where it brushed up against the magical bubble.

Laughing softly, Steve settled down next to the treats waiting for him. It was good to be back.

** _I was shaking at the knees, could I come again please?_ **

☆


	3. Riders on the Storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little earlier today in celebration of Mean Girls Day!
> 
> Today's soundtrack is The Doors - Riders on the storm, and if that song's not creepy... I don't know...

☆

** _Into this world we’re thrown… _ **

It was in the early morning hours after the October full moon, when Bucky woke up to his favorite kind of weather. Outside, a thunder storm with heavy rain, signaling the end of summer in the very best of ways, was going down over Brooklyn. It made him smile sleepily in the watery grey light of the early autumn morning. If that didn’t bode well for the last days until Samhain, he didn’t know what would.

He couldn’t pinpoint what it was that had him coming back to wakefulness. Because storms like the one going on outside normally pulled him under like nothing else. Rubbing a tired hand across his naked chest, he thought he could still make out a faint tugging sensation. Something, or rather someone was beckoning him closer.

For now though, the pull of his bed with its warm covers and the promises of his dreams were louder. Balancing along the line of sleep and wakefulness, he could still feel the embrace of the beautiful stranger his overactive mind had been making up for some time now. But the sounds of booming thunder and the patter of rain outside chased the last slivers of the man of his dreams away while at the same time, it made them seem all the more real. 

"Hey there, long time no see. I’ve missed you…" Mumbling into his pillow, Bucky wrapped his arms around himself. Taking in the storm outside and the season it was heralding, was like welcoming an old friend back from their travel and into his waiting arms.

Sure, there had been some thunder storms over the summer, when the heat was oppressing in the city and the clouds building up like waves in the ocean. But those storms did not have the taste and feel to them as these messengers of autumn that ripped the leaves loose from their trees and brought a chill to the air that had you seek refuge indoors, wrapped in knit blankets and steaming cup of tea in cradled between your palms.

What others would generally call bad weather made Bucky smile and burrow deeper under the covers. Gazing over to where thick droplets of water were hitting the window pane, he reveled in the boom of loud thunder, the rolling of forbidding clouds across the sky, and the last traces of ominous darkness that were still shrouding the city lights. The tumultuous world outside was brightened every few seconds by lightning bolts hat seemed just a little bit too close for comfort for anyone else.

But not for Bucky. Thunder storms made a deep yearning rise within his soul, a feeling he had been trying to understand for ages now. There was a beautiful song weaving around it all, entrancing Bucky with every note that could be heard above the roaring wind and booming thunder. It was as if the overly bright lightning and roaring thunder were calling for him. Calling for Bucky to join the Wild Hunt.

But what's got a witch to do with the riders on the storm? What would Bucky have to do with the old gods that were rumored to have joined the furious host that were riding the skies, bestowing lightning and thunder to the mortals down below?

Oh, Bucky longed to hear the furious shouting of the mysterious riders, the tremendous noise of hooves hitting rooftops and abandoned roads. To listen to the hounds of hell and beyond baying as well as the hunters' horns echoing from up close. But he knew better than to wish for it, no matter what the enchanting song playing over the thunder storm outside urged him to do. A witch was quick to learn that wishes held an immeasurable power and were as uncontrollable as the Hunt himself. So better not make a wish for something you didn’t understand.

This was why Bucky pulled the blankets even tighter around himself. Hoping that the cozy warmth under the covers and the feel of his favorite pillow against his cheek would pull him back under for a few hours of more sleep. And if not, then it would hopefully be enough to tether him down to Earth, to keep him from climbing out the window onto the fire escape and seeking out the Wild Hunt once and for all.

“Not today, my dear, not today…”

** _Take him by the hand, make him understand… _ **

☆


	4. Running with the Wolves.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve is having a 700 word long crisis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a good weekend everyone!
> 
> Today's tune is Running with the Wolves by AURORA.

☆

** _My heart still beats and my skin still feels… _ **

Gazing through the endless waterfalls running down the window pane, Steve sighed longingly and curled up tighter where he was perched outside in the heavy rains on the freezing steps of a fire escape in Brooklyn. Because wrapped up like the most adorable human burrito possible, lay his assumed one true love. Safely out of his reach but so very sensitive to his presence, if the man waking up just after Steve touched down outside his bedroom was anything to go on.

Steve was painfully aware that him sitting outside the window of a man he didn’t officially know could be considered stalking. Should be considered stalking, really. Look at him, part of the Wild Hunt, one of the most powerful group of inhuman beings still around worrying about social conventions. The other huntsmen would laugh themselves back into their graves if they could see him now. They mocked him for keeping up with human culture enough as it was, anyway.

Sitting back against the railing, Steve whined softly to himself. He should really get moving and never come back to this particular fire escape.

But the man peacefully sleeping just a few feet away had also put out milk and cookies at night to appease the Fae. And while Steve was not strictly considered one of the Fae Folk by the books, he was supernatural enough to qualify for munching one of the heavenly chocolate chip cookies that had been waiting for him tonight.

“Hmm, yummy!” Humming to himself, he took another big bite of the cookie, feeling the chocolate melt on his tongue and tasting a burst of flavor exploding across his tongue.

Steve didn’t even know the man’s name or who he was really. So in his books that was still a whole lot better than people investigating a tinder date online, going as far as looking up employers and previous partners. So a little looking while having no intentions of ever interacting with the man was way better. Right? Right.

Letting his head fall back, he stared up at the rolling clouds above him. Closing his eyes against the steadily falling rain, he breathed in deeply.

Okay, who was he kidding? It was still creepy as all hell.

But he really couldn’t help himself. He had never felt anything like tonight before in all of his existence. A tugging in his very soul to come find his missing piece. And it had led him to the man sleeping peacefully on the other side of the window.

And a long existence it was indeed. He had lost track of how long exactly, a never ending sequence of what Thor liked to call “assignments” and “missions” made it impossible to keep count of the years. Even decades were chasing by within the blink of an eye so fast that it was no wonder when he couldn’t keep count of his own age. Some days he couldn’t even say for sure where they were, countries changing names and borders seemingly at random and cultures blending together all over the world.

Also, the storm business could get stressful, so much so that even the skies all blended together. Stars seemingly the same everywhere, the sun and moon rotating without rhyme or reason. And Steve caught up between clouds and thunder and lightning.

Hurricanes over the Bahamas, monsoon season across all of Asia. Heavy summer storms over Central Europe and blizzards in Greenland. He literally got his head in the clouds and the only thing to bring him back down apparently was the stranger sleeping unaware a glass pane away.

Taking another sip of the milk, he tried to chase down the hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. Guess it was fall in the Northern hemisphere again. Smiling down at the glass, he felt a warmth spread from within. Welcoming him back, back to where his potential soulmate was wandering. Or rather still sleeping.

“Steve… it’s time to go! Duty calls!” The booming voice of his chief was summoning him, accompanied by lightning and thunder. Shaking his head at the theatrics of it, Steve chanced one glance back into the dimly lit room and the sleeping figure inside. 

** _My spirit talks, I know my soul believes… _ **

☆


	5. Season of the Witch.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Loki and his glorious burden of being the most insufferable family member once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 5, whoop whoop!   
Still no Stucky, but we'll meet Loki - the first of the rest of the coven of manipulated / brainwashed ex-murder machines!
> 
> Today is powered by Season of the Witch. I'm partial to Donovan's version but Lana Del Rey works just as well.

☆

** _When I look out my window, many sights to see… _ **

"Yo, Sleeping Beauty! Time to wake up and stop lusting after the Wild Hunt!" What felt like mere seconds later, a whirlwind of green, black, and gold came storming into Bucky's room, dragging him from his sweet dreams. 

Before he knew what hit him, the warm blankets were ripped off him and a rush of cold hit his naked chest. The last traces of howling and stomping hooves were echoing off in the distance of his sub-consciousness. He couldn’t even recall falling back asleep.

"I got great news and you peasants better assemble in the kitchen asap because I do not have the time of day to repeat myself again and again!" A figure clad in a velvet dressing gown was looming over him.

Groaning, Bucky pulled his pillow across his face and wrapped an arm around his naked chest to preserve at least a sliver of warmth. "Piss off, Loki! It's too early for your bullshit!"

Another wave of ice cold air hit him along the soles of his bare feet for his trouble. Screeching and cursing loudly, he curled up even tighter around himself, clutching his pillow to his face with a death-grip. His goose bumps were having goose bumps.

But at least the other man deemed Bucky awake enough to leave him alone for now. He could hear Loki stomping out of his room and banging against the bedroom door across from his.

Snuggling back down into his mattress once more, Bucky was hell-bent on getting another half hour of power napping in before Loki bullied the others awake and got them ready for the day. Or at least more or less presentable. After a full moon that could definitely take some time. Especially Natasha was hell-bent on sleeping in, blaming the witching hour being far too late at night to function like a human being the next day.

So few more minutes of sleep it was. Squeezing his eyes together tightly against the rays of the milky, fall morning sun. Soaking up each residual spark of warmth still clinging to his pillow and sheets. Trying to will back his dreams of a hunky, blonde man wrapping him up in big, strong arms, leaning down for what Bucky was sure to be a toe-curling kiss.

But Loki’s loud screeching out in the hallway made the last slivers of the dream slip cruelly away from him. Seemed like one of the others had taken their sweet revenge on the raven haired man for being woken up so unceremoniously. Grumbling to himself, Bucky twisted around again. And it was such a good dream.

That blond hunk had been making a repeat performance in his dreams lately. Not that he was complaining really. From what he could remember in the mornings, the fella was built like brick shit house.

Broad shoulders and thick arms that could surely bench press Bucky. Pecs to die for and a tiny waist that had his fingers twitching with the urge to just grab it.

A strong jaw covered in thick, blond stubble. Tousled honey blond hair.

It really made Bucky feel like a damn pervert dreaming about a man that ticked just each and every one of his boxes. But in the milky grey light of the morning and with sleep still clinging to his lashes, he only mourned that this dream of a man was only just that. A dream.

Because if he had ever met a man like that in real life, his poor gay heart would have surely given out and he wouldn’t have to listen to Loki spewing expletives out in the hallway.

** _And he’s strange, sure is strange… _ **

☆


	6. Dance on the Moon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet some good boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Bucky for Steve yet, but some fluffballs! 
> 
> Dance on the Moon by AURORA is today's background noise!

☆

** _I dance as I'm falling but I never touch the ground…_ **

Jumping from one low hanging cloud to the next rooftop, Steve made his way back to where the rest of the hunting party had set up camp the night before they had headed out to conjure up one hell of a tempest. But he was still warm inside from having spent time with his potential soulmate, no matter how far apart and no matter how far stretched the “with” was. A stupid grin stretched across his face at the memory of cookies and milk waiting for him and that tousled head of dark hair peeking out from between the sheets.

Because regrettably, that had been the only bit of the man Steve had been able to make out. Or rather… thank the Gods that had been all he had seen. His guilty conscience was bad enough as it was.

As he got closer to the others, he tried to reign in his feelings and tamper down the grin that was still digging deep into his cheeks. It wouldn’t do for the others to catch on to his inner turmoil and the beginnings of an infatuation. As soon as the huntsmen smelled blood, they wouldn’t stop until they had hounded him for every last one of his secrets.

And as long as he didn’t know for himself if he did have a soulmate out there or if it was all just a weird coincidence, he’d rather play it close to the chest. Perhaps it was all just the full moon or something. Lost in thought, he was nearly caught unaware.

But then again, the first of his hounds yapping excitedly was loud enough to raise the dead.

That made another grin tug at the corners of his mouth. Still as energized as ever, even after a hunt like the one last night. And to think that they nearly had gotten to him! His babies were growing up so fast, he wouldn’t be able to outrun them for much longer.

A moment later, three large hounds were upon him. Jumping around him, nipping at the flowing cloth of his tunic. Yipping and whining, courting for his attention.

Chuckling, he bent down to scratch each and every floppy ear and fluffy belly he could get his hands on. The three dog-like creatures were tumbling over themselves and their siblings to get a few pats for themselves.

Sure, the _Hounds of Annwn_ were feared in human mythology and folklore because they were said to chase the lost souls among the stars during the Wild Hunt. And their gleaming white fur and those blood-red ears did make them look quite spectral.

But those stories about how their howls would grow quieter the closer they got and that those who would hear them were fated to die within the next year… those were utter bullshit and Steve took serious offense. If his hounds could speak for themselves, they would very much like to be excluded from that narrative.

Yes, they did run with the Wild Hunt and they made a hell of a racket while out chasing across the sky. But they did no soul reaping or death bestowing. Dogs were not only a guy’s best friend, but also a god’s. And everything else between.

So Cerberus, Fluffy, and Ghost were Steve’s most loyal companions, chasing the clouds with him and the Hunt. He hadn’t had the three hounds with him all that long, but he wouldn’t want to be without them ever again.

They were just the best boys ever.

“Yes you are! You are the very best doggies in all the realms!” Plopping down at the flat roof of a skyscraper, he pulled the three massive dogs close. Scratching and patting, he cuddled with his best guys while watching the sun rise as high as it still could this time of the year over the glimmering city.

He loved how the edges of the clouds were slowly dipped in warm, bright colors while the ever weakening rays of the sun were creeping across the skyline.

It made him nearly forget about the man slowly waking up all the way across the city.

** _Watching me dance on the moon…_ **

☆


	7. Which Witch.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, over at the coven's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More about Bucky's witchy family. 
> 
> Today we listen to Which Witch by her ethereal goddess Florence (+ the Machine).

☆

** _I'm miles away, he's on my mind…_ **

“You’re such a goddam witch, Nat!” From the enraged yelling in the hallway, Bucky took it that Natasha had not reacted all too kindly to Loki waking her up before her own time. “Wanda! Natasha is unnecessarily mean to me again!”

So off to tattle to their coven’s leader it was. Sometimes he couldn’t really believe that all of them were considered adults. They even had the passports and IDs to prove it. And to think that all of them were able to perform magic at comparably impressive levels… it was laughable. But least of all he could wrap his mind around the fact that Loki was the eldest one out of the five of them.

More times than not he showed the emotional maturity of a teenager. Could be the hormones jamming up his brain from all the sex magic. But what did he know?

Shaking his head, Bucky sat up in bed and gave up on sleep for good. With a snap of his fingers, he let the door to his room finally fall closed.

He loved hearing his family bantering and knowing that they were milling around the house, but he tried to keep his privates private as often as he could. Not that a closed door would have stopped any of the other four to just barge in, as Loki had shown quite loudly and violently just earlier. But Bucky liked pretending. For example that their whole coven didn’t run around butt naked during most full moons and more ritual nights than not. But that could basically considered a work uniform among witches.

Standing up from the bed, he stretched his arms wide above his head, feeling his vertebrae pop one after the other. Then he bent down at the waist, grabbing onto his ankles to stretch out the backs of his legs. Next up, fifty squats rounded up his waking-up-routine. Getting his blood pumping and his brain online on top of working for his best asset was his favorite way to start the day.

Being yelled at and having Loki’s frost spells aimed at him – not so much.

Shaking out his arms and legs, he slipped into a cuddly bathrobe and pulled some fuzzy socks on to ward off the freezing chills of fall creeping along the wooden floor boards. Strolling over to the far side of his room, Bucky pushed open the window towards the fire escape, breathing in deeply. Looking out over the sprawling cityscape of Brooklyn, he could still taste the rain and the storm hanging in the air at the back of his tongue.

“Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.” Bucky smiled to himself. More like the middle of October, but there was nothing like quoting J.K. Rowling to the morning fog he had found.

Gazing around silently, he soaked in the atmosphere and the early morning sun. Bucky breathed deeply, letting his soul spread his wings and let his magic loose, tingling along his skin.

Only then did he look down at the steps of the fire escape outside his window winding up along the brownstone. He couldn’t fight the elated smile creeping over his face then. The cookies and milk he put out on the steps the night before were gone. Not a crumb or sip was left behind and the dishes were stacked orderly on top of each other.

So definitely not a cat nibbling on his treats, no matter what Loki and Natasha said. It was only respectful to offer treats to the Fae, no matter how few were still wandering the overpopulated cities. And if he would be totally okay with a huntsman riding with the Hunt treating themselves to some milk and cookies set out by Bucky that was no one’s business but his own.

He really did hope it was a rider that came to visit last night. Because he was sure now that he had been visited by one of the Wild Hunt.

He could make out faint traces of wild and powerful magic lingering on the steps, could taste it on his tongue really. Someone was here last night, someone who smelled of rain and ozone and thunder. Untamed and everything that Bucky had ever longed for. It had to be the one his soul was urging him to meet last night…

Bucky really hoped that he liked the new recipe that he had tried out.

** _And it's my whole heart. Trying to reach it out…_ **

☆


	8. Lavender Moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watching the waxing moon right now... 
> 
> Lavender Moon by Haroula Rose is today's jam.

☆

** _Filled with secrets like these, haunted by long gone dreams… _ **

When Steve and his hounds finally made it back to the encampment, it was midmorning bordering on midday. But the sun making its way across the sky had been just so beautiful, he couldn’t bear to stop watching.

Also, Ghost had fallen asleep sprawled across his lap. You try getting a 200 pound dog up and moving if he didn’t want to. Also, cuteness overload. Steve would have needed to have lost his heart somewhere between the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean to bring it over himself to wake his fluffy baby up.

In the end, it was Fluffy and Cerberus play-wrestling and tumbling into Steve and Ghost that made the sleepy hound wake up. With a playful growl, she threw herself into the fray and nipped at her brothers’ heels and flanks where she could.

Breaking up their writhing puppy pile took another half an hour, especially as Steve was roped right into rolling around with his babies across the rooftop as well.

“Steven!” A loud booming greeted him when Steve and the hounds finally made it to the encampment, hidden in the depths of Central Park. Striding towards him with powerful steps, his chief made his way between the tents and campfires, clapping shoulders and bumping fists as he went.

“My man, you have sure taken your sweet time coming back this morning!” Laughing exuberantly, Thor embraced Steve heartily before petting each of the hounds extensively. Sobering up then, he fixed the other man with a steady gaze. “What could have been more important than a glorious hunt for you to leave us in such a hurry?”

Chuckling, Steve shook his head. He should have known that Thor hadn’t called on him by chance and apparently had been waiting for his return ever since. The leader of the ragtag team of beings called the Wild Hunt was way more perceptive that most traditional folklore and modern popular culture gave him credit for.

Steve had confided in him the first time that he had felt the curious tugging sensation and Thor was convinced that it was Steve’s soulmate calling out to him unconsciously. The jury was still out on that one.

Because after a night of crouching on a creaky fire escape in the rain and staring wistfully at a pile of blankets, he wasn’t so sure if the concept was all that appealing to him. Not like the cold bothered him anyway, storms were his trade after all. But the whole situation was just way below ideal.

It’s not like he could knock on the window and demand to be let in, just claiming to be the perfect fit for the other one’s soul. Even if most human laws did not apply to the supernatural, trespassing and stalking was not something he wanted to commit.

“My friend, you are drifting off towards unpleasant thoughts. Let me cheer you up again, I have been told just where to go!” Wrapping a strong arm around Steve’s broad shoulders, Thor steered his rider away from the rest of the Hunt and towards the edges of the supernatural part of the park. Giving his hounds to keep close, Steve willed his mind to shut off and let himself be dragged along. 

He really hoped there would be breakfast wherever they went. But even with a grumbling stomach, spending time with Thor always made the world seem brighter.

** _My heart belongs to you… _ **

☆


	9. Nearly Witches.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Clint and Nat!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I missed a day, but that means two for today, yay!!
> 
> Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met...) by Panic! at the Disco is my jam. Like basically anything Brendon Urie has ever sung since 2005.

☆

** _Trembling hands play my heart like a drum…_ **

When Bucky finally dragged his tired bones out into the dimly lit kitchen, it was to the image of Clint crouching on top of the counter with a blanket wrapped around him like a cloak. He was cradling a bowl between his knees and stirring something into it.

"Morning." Yawning, he shuffled over to the coffee machine to get another pot going. When Clint was the first one up, the first round would already be gone by the time anyone else had even reached for a cup. "What you got there?"

Blinking over at him owlishly, Clint stopped the stirring and took a deep gulp from the bowl: "Potion."

Suppressing a shudder, Bucky turned back to the coffee machine. No need to concern himself with Clint’s taste in breakfast. Instead, he took down everyone’s favored cups and mugs. Then he lined up sugars and milk and creamer along the counter for when the others would trudge in half asleep still.

Fixing his own mug up with a creamy concoction with so much sugar in it, that you could stick the spoon in and it’d stay upright, he grabbed a cookie from the batch he finished the night before. It was officially fall now, he was allowed all the sugar and carbs he wanted as long as they were fall-themed.

He wandered over to the heavy oak dining table dominating their kitchen. It was surrounded by mismatched chairs and benches that the coven had collected over the years. Settling onto the wooden bench pushed up against the big window overlooking the bustling street down below, Bucky snuggled down into the plethora of pillows overflowing the bench.

Clint softly slurping in the background, the heavenly smell of fresh coffee wafting up in his face. The imposing thunder clouds breaking up and letting the fall sun shine directly in his face. Bucky was content.

And then Loki came storming into the quiet kitchen, clad in his atrocious green, gold, and black dressing gown. “Gather around, peasants! I got news to share and you are all wasting my time dawdling!”

“Witch, you’re killing my vibe.” Staring at Loki with glassy eyes from where he was still perched on the counter, Clint took another deep slurping drink from his bowl.

Disgustedly, Loki sniffed and busied himself preparing his own cup of coffee.

“You tell him, babe! I had 13 more minutes until I really had to get up.” High-fiving Clint on her way to the coffee machine, Natasha squeezed herself along the counter until she had Loki pushed aside. Greedily, she poured herself a mug the size of her head and laughed at the dark haired man’s grumbling for taking everything for herself.

“Quit the hackling that early in the day, children!” Her soft voice floated into the kitchen long before their coven leader made an appearance. “Get another pot brewing, Loki, and then share these great news.”

** _It's the only thing that makes me feel as good as you do…_ **

☆

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The [potion post](https://leoleofitz.tumblr.com/post/185102603608/me-wearing-a-blanket-as-a-cloak-stirring-my) on tumblr. If that's not a fucking mood, I don't know what is...


	10. Moonrise.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some bro-time coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Powered by WILDWOOD - Moonrise.

☆

** _Midnight creeping through the clouds…_ **

“Hold a sec!” Steve grabbed onto Thor’s broad shoulder when they neared the border between the magical part of Central Park and the one open for the general public.

Looking back at the other man questioningly, the leader of the Wild Hunt stopped just short of the threshold. It made Steve chuckle softly. The Hunt did spend so much time traversing time zones and cultures, never really touching down long enough to acclimatize themselves to their new surroundings. No wonder that Thor, the god of thunder, who had been spearheading their ragtag group of hunters and warriors and beasts for millennia by now, sometimes lost touch to the modern day and age.

With a wave of his hand, Steve changed Thor’s golden battle armor and billowing red cape into a soft red cardigan and blue jeans. Because if he’d learned one thing while riding with Thor then it was the fact that this specimen of a man drew eyes wherever he went. And to be inconspicuous despite that meant to tone down what he was wearing while at the same time give the people enough to ogle.

Playing to their superficiality it was. Be hot enough to catch someone’s eye (not like Thor could help that), but dress down enough to not be kept in mind for long. What Steve had gathered during his last outings was that beards and hipsters and muscles were still a thing, so the both of them should blend in perfectly in New York.

Because no matter what he tried to tell himself, he was as much of a looker as Thor. But no need to open that particular can of worms today. Changing his own billowing tunic and cloak into skinny jeans and a soft, dark blue sweater, he stepped out into the midmorning hectic of Central Park during the fall with his chief hot on his heels.

A faint shiver in the air let him look back to where his hounds were toppling through the barrier. They had changed themselves to forms that humans were more used to: red-tipped ears melting into white fur and their massive bodies shrinking down to the size of a husky.

“So tell me, my friend, where have you been off to last night so suddenly?” Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw Thor smirking.

“Don’t be so smug, chief. It doesn’t suit you.” Ducking his head, he tried to will his blush down. “I’m not ready to talk about it, yet.”

Reaching out to squeeze Steve’s in silent support, Thor thankfully changed the topic: “Then let me tell you all about the glorious fucking I have been partaking in last night!”

What was that about gratefulness?

Laughing loudly at Steve’s grimace, Thor led them out of the park and steered him down towards where they hopefully had coffee mugs big enough to drown himself in.

“I came about the most delicious looking witch when returning to the encampment. You should have seen him, Steve. Luscious black locks and alabaster skin stretched across a warrior’s body. And he could take everything I gave him, even taunted me for going slow at first. He made me see the halls of Valhalla when I spilled!”

If Steve had known that his chief took such a liking to him that he considered him a close friend he confided his exploits in, he would have never joined the Hunt. This was not what he had imagined when they came across him.

** _Will you still love me when the stars fade away?_ **

☆


	11. Black Magic.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda is a mother hen and Loki overshares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who has commitment issues as deep as the Great Canyon?! ME!   
I'm sorry!!!! <3   
But this is still in the making and definitely not abandoned and you'll get all 31 before the 31st, I swear upon my Toothless plushy!! 
> 
> Today's sound is Black Magic by Magic Wands.

☆

** _Into the pit of your heart… _ **

When the five of them were finally gathered around the table, each one decked out with a steaming cup of coffee and Bucky’s cookies, Loki dramatically draped himself into his chair. “So first of all, I am happy to share that last night, my moonlight masturbation session did not go as originally planned.”

He was met with four incredulous stares. They had all heard too much already about Loki’s rituals of re-charging with the help of the full moon. But when his rites got disturbed and not completed, it never boded well for anyone. Least of all the rest of the coven.

“Loki, what did you do?” Clasping one of his hands, Wanda leaned closer to her charge comfortingly. Ready to put out any fires the other witch may have started.

Squeezing her fingers lightly in return, Loki sulked: “Nothing much. And in my defense, the moon was full and I was left unsupervised.”

“You did want to be by yourself last night, darling, don’t put that on us. Now please tell us what happened, my dear.” Ever the patient woman, their coven leader.

“Fine.” Huffing, Loki turned to the table at large. And this was when the mischievous nature of their newest coven member couldn’t be contained anymore and he smirked self-satisfied. “I was on the receiving end of a dicking down for the ages.”

The rest of the coven was left groaning. Witches were open among their kind and covens shared almost everything. But Loki was prone to over-sharing and although it was nearing 10 am, it was still too early for this shit. Especially when all Bucky had to show for was a lonely wank and dreams about a hot huntsman.

Grinning feverishly, Loki implored the others: ”I feel like I could pull off that freezing spell I’ve been talking about and make New York wake up tomorrow to a Day After Tomorrow kind of scenario. I’m brimming with magic.”

“You’re brimming with stupid, is what you are.” It was just like Clint to only wake up fully when it came to calling Loki out on his bullshit. The sounds of a deep slurping sip from his coffee concoction let the rest of them shudder in slight disgust.

Tutting at the blond man for his rudeness, Wanda turned back to her troubled charge and softly stroked across Loki’s cheek before he could retaliate with a biting remark. “I can feel it, my dear, can see your magic overflowing really. But I strongly suggest you do not make your fantasy a reality. There is still glitter all over Prospect Park from your last magic rush.”

Pinching his cheek in warning, she leveled a look at the raven haired witch that had Bucky fighting off shivers of his own. He hated being on the receiving end of that one. But Loki was, as Clint so helpfully remarked, was still high on his sexcapade from the night before.

“Well, I am burdened with glorious purpose, Wanda!” And there wasn’t any room left for even an ounce of self-preservation with all the dopamine streaming his through his body.

“Anyway” Drawling lazily from across the table, Natasha crossed her legs delicately. “What was it that you wanted to share so desperately? Surely not just your one night stand.”

Perking up again from Wanda’s reprimand, Loki leaned forward excitedly. “Oh right! I nearly forgot, a good lay will do that to you. Not that any of you would know.” Throwing a scathing sneer in Clint’s direction, Loki spread his arms wide. “We’re going on a trip! This year, we’ll celebrate Samhain at the Brocken!”

Grinning at his adopted family, Loki was met with blank stares.

** _It is the person’s eyes that have the answers in… _ **

☆


	12. Wolves.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of backstory for Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12 down, 19 more to go, wooo!
> 
> Rocking out to Wolves by One Direction!

☆

** _Your eyes keep pulling me in…_ **

If Steve had known that his chief would take such a liking to him. If he had known that he would even considered him such a close friend that he confided his exploits in, he would have never joined the Hunt. This was not what he had imagined when the huntsmen had come across him.

Being forced to hear about Thor’s one night stands so early in the morning had definitely not been in the contract that he signed his soul away with.

It had to have been sometime in the Middle Ages when Steve was born, at least as far as he could remember. Today, he wasn’t able to recall much about his life back then, all that was left were just vague impressions and feelings. The face of his mother, smiling lovingly down at him.

And the knowledge, that he hadn’t always been wearing a body fit for a young god.

He had been frail, sickly. And no matter how much care his mother put into nursing him back to health after each bout of measly human diseases, in the end it did not matter. At the very end, it was Steve’s loud mouth that had broken his neck. Figuratively speaking.

Really, it was more like two cracked rips, a broken wrist, a fractured leg, and a broken nose. On top of that countless bruises and endless lacerations.

Because even if he could never live up to what his species was said to be, never could dance as wildly with the winds as his sisters thanks to his ailments. Even if his body could never fill out into that unearthly beauty that his kind were known for to lure unfaithful men to their doom and destiny. (And no, mother, his pouty lips and crystal blue eyes were not enough to qualify him as “ethereal beautiful”!)

Because despite all of his shortcomings, his heart and soul were burning bright with a fiery spirit and an undying sense for justice.

So when he had come across a group of men hassling two girls at the river bank of the Vltava, he had naturally stepped in. Had made the girls run away as fast as they could and had even gotten a good punch or two in when the molesters had crowded in around him.

But thanks to his frail body and the unchanging behavioral pattern of dickheads to always gang up to let their aggressions and dissatisfaction with life in general out on people smaller and weaker than them, Steve had been on his last breath way sooner than even he himself had expected.

As he had lain there in the shallow water that lapped softly at the river bank and a thunder storm brewing up above him, he had understood for the first time what his mother had always told him. It wasn’t what the humans called monster that were monstrous. It were the humans themselves that were the real monsters in this world. Oh what he would give to be able to get back up and give those assholes a piece of his mind once more.

And then the rain came. Accompanied by lightning and thunder.

Just his luck.

** _They head straight for your heart… _ **

☆


	13. Small Town Witch.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samhain is coming!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And one more! (for today)  
And approximately two more (chapters) until the fiiiinally meet!
> 
> This chapter is powered by Small Town Witch by Sneaker Pimps!

☆

** _Crawling round a dream and loving you…_ **

Grinning at his family, Loki proudly proclaimed: “This year, we’ll celebrate Samhain at the Brocken!”

He was met with four pairs of incredulous stares.

“The Brocken… as in the witch mountain smack dab in the middle of Germany. Germany as in Europe?” Natasha had raised one elegant eyebrow. “Europe as in on another continent and a 10+ hours flight away from New York? That Brocken?”

“Ahm… short question!” Bucky finally piped up then. “How are we supposed to afford a trip to Europe? And what about the shop?”

“That will be all dealt with in time.” Loki took a deep sip from his tea, cool as cucumber.

"No, but really, Lokes. Because look at me, I really want to buy new crystals. But my bank account is like “aww, Clint, no. But there are rocks lying around in the park." He shrugged then. "So how am I supposed to afford a trip to Europe?"

"Don’t concern yourself with that, my friends. Farbauti is just so happy that I found a coven that would take me in, she'd pay a Samhain vacation for all of us gladly," Loki made a throw away gesture. "Increases the chances of you keeping me longtime and her not having to put up with me."

“You know, that’s fine by me. I have been planning on finding an abandoned castle somewhere in Europe anyway and become local folklore. Doing the whole flowing dresses and weird singing noises at ungodly hours. There have been some interesting listings in Germany anyway. I’m in.” Natasha leaned back against the window pane behind her, settling in for what was sure to be a heated round of travel planning. “Saves me paying for the flight myself.”

Loki turned towards Bucky then.

“Buckaroo, come on! Don’t be a killjoy!” Big green eyes were staring beseechingly at him.

Leaning over and pushing that smug, pretty face away from him, softly, Bucky chuckled. Rubbing a hand over his face to buy himself some time. He had always wanted to go to Europe and especially the Brocken. Ever since teenaged witch Bucky had read Faust in High School in rural Indiana, he had been dreaming about seeing the old lands of his ancestors.

“She’d really invite us all?” He could still not really believe it.

Nodding eagerly, Loki waved away his concerns. “I also borrowed two of her coven to cover the shop during opening hours. She’s got that weird training program set up for novices in her coven, so they are basically just glorified interns bending over backwards to please dear ol’ mum. But they know their way around herbs and stuff.”

“You really got this all planned out, do you?” Leaning over once more, Bucky wound one arm around Loki’s shoulders and squeezed the other man tightly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Wanda, what do you say?”

“Alright, if it’s all planned out and the shop’s up and running, I see nothing holding us back. We do deserve some time off! And who am I to pass up a good Samhain celebration?” Chuckling softly to herself, their coven leader looked around the table and was met with four grinning faces.

“But please, tell your mother that we say thank you and really appreciate her gift!” Wanda stared at Loki beseechingly.

So it looks like Bucky would finally fulfill one of his wishes.

Next up in line was finding his mystery man then.

** _See black, see bloom…_ **

☆


	14. Superhuman Touch.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve reminiscing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So maybe we'll extend the fun until Thanksgiving :D! But Halloween is a feeling, not a day anyway, so we'll see :D!
> 
> Rocking out to Athlete's Superhuman Touch.

☆

** _I’m on fire, nothing’s gonna hold me back… _ **

Steve had been so lost in thought that he startled when Thor pressed a steaming cup of coffee into his hands. Nearly dropping the cup full of scalding hot liquid, he just barely got the plastic lid to cover it before he spilled pumpkin spice latte all over himself.

“Steve, where are you with your thoughts today?” Thor looked at him worriedly.

Shaking his head and laughing self-depreciatingly, Steve led the way out of the coffee shop to where Ghost, Fluffy, and Cerberus were taking up the sidewalk waiting for them. Bending down to give each one a thorough scratch behind the ears, he looked back at the other man.

“I was just thinking about the day we met.”

“Ah, yes! Such a glorious occasion indeed! It was around this time of the year as well, wasn’t it?” Looking up at the sky, Thor considered the altitude of the sun.

“It sure is.” Steve could still feel the cold creeping into him and the cold river water lapping against his frail body. He had lain there for Gods know how long, freezing and hurting, just waiting for death to finally claim him.

But instead there had been a thunderstorm raging on around him, rain hitting his sensitive skin like a thousand knives stabbing him. The wind had been ripping at the wet rags that had once been his clothes. The thunder had rung into his eardrums and the glaringly bright thunder bolts had burned into his retinas.

Steve had had half a mind to wish for death to pretty-please speed up a little when a flash of lightning hat struck the river bank just a few feet away from his busted face. And then there had been a god kneeling into the mud beside him. Or at least that’s what Steve had thought about Thor when he had seen him for the first time, muscles bulging and armor gleaming in the light of thunderbolts going down around them.

The chief of the Wild Hunt had reached out for Steve then, healing his wounds and broken bones with just a touch of his hand. He had then offered Steve a place among his pack.

“Your spirit has drawn me in ever since then, Steven. Never lose that passion and sense of justice that is what makes you such a good huntsman.” Sending a compassionate grin his way, Thor took a huge sip of his pumpkin spice latte.

Huffing a breath, Steve drained his cup in one long gulp. It had had one good thing at least. Being part of a group of mythical beings that was strengthened by the raw power of thunder and magic, his body and health had finally took a turn for the better. In this new life, Steve was finally the strong being he had been destined to be. And maybe, just maybe it would allow him to meet his soulmate as well.

And just when he thought about that mystery man again who was potentially starting his day right this very second somewhere in the sprawling city around him, he could feel his soul tingling inside his chest once again. Could it be…?

Tugging a little on the leashes of his three little babies, Steve let himself be pulled along by the curious tugging sensation he felt inside his chest. He could vaguely hear Thor bumbling along behind them, inquiring as to where they were going. But he couldn’t answer him, even if he wanted to. It wasn’t like he knew for sure, he was trusting the Fates here. All he could do was let himself be pulled along by his soul.

** _Unless the sky has a pocketful of tricks to try… _ **

☆


	15. Once Upon a Dream.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Could it possibly be that...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it finally Stucky time?!?!
> 
> Listening to Once Upon a Dream in the Lana Del Rey version!

☆

** _I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam… _ **

“And someone did like the milk and cookies last night, just so you know!” Grinning at Natasha while he was unlocking the door, he could practically feel her judging him.

The small bell above the door was tinkling when Bucky entered the small shop he had been working at for the last few years. Turning the small sign in the window from “closed” to “open”, he looked around the expansive room with a fond smile.

When he had moved from his small hometown in Indiana to the Big Apple, he felt adrift and lost in an endless sea of possibilities for the longest time. Until one day, when he had stumbled upon a store, hidden by the massive retailers and designer outlets all around. The shop was bursting with crystals glinting in the shelfs and herbs bound to bouquets dangling from the ceiling. There were massive tomes stacked on every available surface as well as beautiful china and silverware laid out on various tables. Colorful candles and fresh herbage filled the air with a kaleidoscope of scents.

And just after a few minutes browsing along the storage racks, tracing a finger over the spine of this book or taking a closer look at an amethyst. Everything around him was brimming with magic and after weeks of drifting along the streets of New York, he felt a sense of home. With a tinkling of a curtain made of seashells, his attention was drawn over to the massive counter at the back of the store.

A woman with vibrant red hair had stepped out from a covert backroom, looking over at him with keen green eyes. Lips curled in a soft smile, she beckoned him closer.

“Welcome, Bucky. We’ve been waiting for you!”

Since that day in the shop, Bucky had been part of Wanda’s coven and found a family apart from his family back home. It’s been two years already and each day was full of laughter and magic and love since then. Well, a love between brothers and sisters. Not the all-consuming, romantic love with a heavy side of healthy and fulfilling tumbling in the sheets. But he still had hope that this would change soon.

“Have you had another dream about your mystery lover boy last night then? With the cookies and the full moon and everything I mean?” Natasha came barreled into the shop after him, heaving her heavy bag on top of the counter in the back before plunging her hand into its depth to rummage around loudly.

She was ribbing him, he could tell. But that did not change the fact that his face was heating up at having been caught again. It was as if she had a sixth sense for Bucky and his dreams of huntsman or whatever had a repeat performance in the nightly screenings of his subconsiousness.

“You are aware that lusting after some dude a few centuries older than you and who has been potentially watching you sleep is some Edward Cullen level of fucked up?” Clint had slinked in after them as well and was eyeing him shrewdly.

Groaning, Bucky busied himself with counting the change in the till and checking the to do-list Wanda had left them on Saturday. “Just because I wish that it was someone of the Wild Hunt coming to visit doesn’t mean anything. And the man from my dreams is probably just a pretty face that I’ve seen on the subway or something and I need to get laid so badly that my dreams are all jumbled up!”

Looking over at where the pair of them had magically conjured steaming cups of teas cradled in their hands, he could see that they did not believe a single word. He was about to argue some more, when the bell above the door was tinkling once more and announcing their first customer on this Monday morning.

And his breath caught upon seeing the man standing in the doorway.

Heart beating wildly and soul singing.

** _You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream… _ **

☆

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :)!


End file.
